ED Sheeran has announced he is to play two intimate shows in Brighton ahead of his sold-out stadium tour.

The chart-topping singer-songwriter is to play two nights at Concorde 2 in Madeira Drive on Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26.

In a post on Instagram, the 31-year-old said the shows will be an opportunity to try out some new songs ahead of his summer tour.

Ed wrote: “I’m going to be doing some warm-up shows for my tour in the next few weeks. These are very low-key shows where I get to try out all the new tunes before taking them into the stadiums. Some nights there will be mistakes.

“But that is where the fun starts.”

Tickets to both of Ed’s shows in the city sold out within minutes of them being announced.

The 600-capacity seafront venue will be a chance for fans of the Suffolk singer up close and personal.

He will also play shows at the Electric Ballroom in London and Alexandra Palace Theatre.

Ed last toured stadiums during his 2017-2019 Divide Tour, playing more than 250 shows to some seven million fans, with Divide becoming the most attended and highest grossing tour of all time, breaking U2’s record.

The Mathematics Tour, which is due to start this summer, will see Ed play tracks from his forthcoming fifth album =, pronounced Equals, live for the first time and will feature a new production set-up with the musician performing in the round.

The tour’s official name is + – = ÷ x, in reference to his string of studio albums.

It will include five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium and four nights at Manchester Etihad Stadium.

Sussex musician Maisie Peters is to support Ed on his huge tour this summer.

The 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Steyning will play shows across the UK, Ireland, central Europe and Scandinavia, alongside Ed from April to September.

Ed shot to fame in 2011 with the launch of his chart-topping single The A Team, the lead song on his first album, which was released in September that year.

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